Last week, the French embassy in Niger sent a letter to its staff announcing it would be shutting its doors and ending diplomatic services in the West African country. Simultaneously, the last set of French troops in the country boarded flights out from Niamey. The letter marked the final straw in France’s long tumble from … Read moreAu revoir, Sahel: Did 2023 crush France’s influence in Africa?
At exactly 11am on a Saturday in mid-November, hundreds of students from Luton Sixth Form College streamed out of their school, gathering outside in a sea of black, white and red keffiyehs and Palestinian flags. They carried banners and placards saying “Bombing kids is not self-defence” and “This is no ‘conflict’ it’s genocide”, referring to … Read moreWalkout over weapons: British school students battle Gaza protest curbs
Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II will abdicate on January 14 after 52 years on the throne and will be succeeded by her eldest son Crown Prince Frederik, she said in her annual New Year’s speech. The 83-year-old queen, who took over the throne in 1972, is the longest-serving monarch in Europe following the death of Britain’s … Read moreDenmark’s Queen Margrethe II to abdicate after 52 years on the throne
The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs commission has approved Sweden’s NATO membership bid. The decision, taken on Tuesday, is a key step towards enlarging the military alliance after 19 months of delays in which Ankara demanded security-related concessions from Stockholm. The commission, controlled by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), voted … Read moreTurkish parliament’s foreign affairs commission approves Sweden’s NATO bid
Whenever Svitlana Matvienko hears the wailing of air raid sirens, she goes down to the nearby subterranean shopping mall. There, a barista she’s on a first-name basis with gets her a large latte, and Matvienko clacks away on her tiny silver laptop, sitting next to several dozen others waiting out the air raid. “I’m like … Read more‘Switch to defence’: Ukraine faces difficult 2024 amid aid, arms setbacks
In the week Manchester United’s protracted sale saga finally came to an end, in the shape of a purchase by Jim Ratcliffe, the on-field drama returned as well. The sale of the Red Devils was done the hard way and, so too, the 3-2 victory against Aston Villa on Tuesday was as typical a United … Read moreRatcliffe era starts with a bang, but what’s next for Manchester United?
Jacques Delors, former European Commission chief and a founding father of the European Union’s (EU) historic single currency project, has died. He was 98. The French socialist and ardent advocate of post-war European integration died in his sleep at his Paris home on Wednesday, his family said. Delors served as president of the European Commission … Read moreJacques Delors, founding father of EU’s single currency project, dies at 98
People across Spain tuned in to watch the televised draw of the Christmas lottery known as “El Gordo” (‘The Fat One’), as pupils from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school began singing out the prize-winning numbers. A total of 2.6 billion euros ($2.86bn) in prizes will be distributed this year, most in small amounts, as Friday’s announcements … Read more‘The Fat One’ sings: Spain’s Christmas lottery rolls out millions in prizes
The moment Giorgio Patuelli realised that all his possessions had been destroyed in an instant, was surreal. “That night, when I believed I was going to drown in the stinking black waters, with the noise of streams all around me, my only thought was to save myself and my loved ones,” he says. “When the … Read more‘We feel abandoned’: Survivors of Italy’s devastating floods
Russia has warned that it will react robustly to Western moves to seize its assets or deploy missiles. Moscow could sever diplomatic relations with the United States should it confiscate Russian assets frozen under sanctions, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Friday. Officials also said the Kremlin would respond to the deployment of missiles … Read moreRussia blasts US on frozen assets, missiles as Ukraine bombardment persists